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Breaking the Unbreakable
Akemi quickly rolled out of her bed, screaming wildly as she threw a punch into the wall in front of her. Her fist left a solid dent in the wooden wall while her hand remained mostly undamaged, minus the quick jolt of pain Akemi felt through her hardened bones. Such minor aches and pains were not near enough to stop Akemi from driving her other fist into the wall, resulting in a similar dent. Grinding her perfect teeth, Akemi sat back onto the bed, trying to restrain her anger. The confines of this small inn was simply not the ideal place to achieve any sort of tranquility, as was apparent by the dozen dents in the walls thus far. Akemi needed to escape. Grabbing her signature purple mesh collar top and tight black shorts, Akemi threw her outfit on over her bandaged body and dark red underwear before throwing open the room's only window. Not even bothering to close the window behind her, Akemi jumped to the adjacent rooftop, rapidly hopping form perch to perch as she moved across the upper levels of the Hidden Leaf Village. It had been three days since she had arrived back in the Hidden Lead after being beaten down at the hands of the mysterious woman. Though the woman's medical Ninjutsu and Akemi's enhanced metabolism had allowed Akemi to almost completely heal in that short amount of time, she still felt minor aches and pains with each movement of her body, every single one of them reminding her of the humiliating defeat and the ominous words the woman had cast. '' For whom do you fight?.'' The words had continued to echo through Akemi's skull ever since they were first spoken. The entire walk back the the village, in her seemingly endless nightmares over the past few day, even when Akemi was questioned by the villages ANBU forces regarding the nature of her encounter with Sigma. During the "questioning" Akemi had not mentioned a word about the woman to the ANBU. The thought of doing so hadn't even crossed her mind. Akemi had all but lied to her own village. You've convinced yourself it's for the sake of the village, but in reality... you did it for yourself. Akemi slapped herself hard, as if it was possible to knock the unpleasant thought out of her conscious mind. Why couldn't Akemi simply forget about the whole ordeal? Why did the woman's words seem to cut so deep into her mind? Why had the woman spared Akemi when she had her beaten? Why didn't Akemi say anything about the woman to the ANBU? Why was the event haunting Akemi so persistently? Why? Why was the only question Akemi could think of. Akemi stopped on top of a tall apartment complex, scanning the village for a destination. Akemi had no specific idea of what she was looking for, just something, anything to get her mind off the woman. Akemi hopped down to street level, nearly landing on a overweight woman in a black and white kimono. Startled, the woman dropped her bag of produce and cursed as Akemi. Ignoring the mad cow woman, Akemi hurried down the street, heading towards the training grounds. Akemi had not trained within the Leaf very often during her 15 year residency, as it was agreed upon to conceal her unique abilities form the rest of the village. The same precedent had been set for her predecessors, for fear that the possession of yet another unique power would only magnify the target already on the Hidden Leaf, as well as the young ninja who possessed such abilities also becoming targets. Though she held her tongue on the matter, Akemi had always been angered by this. All the sacrifices her and her masters had made for the sake of peace and the Hidden Leaf had gone unappreciated, even ignored in some cases. After his death, Hādo sensei had been denied his name on the hero's stone, simply because he wasn't officially recognized by the village, because he wasn't supposed to exist. It sickened Akemi and she would even go as far as to say... Her anger again getting the best of her, Akemi through a wild right fist, striking a concrete wall at her flank. The strike had cracked the concrete, leaving three small drops of blood and likely several small pieces of skin smeared on the material. Akemi looked at the back of her hand, noting the damage the act of rage had cost her over her first three knuckles. Though it had hurt more than the wooden wall, Akemi moved her hand and quickly confirmed nothing had been broken, or even seriously damaged. Akemi's display of anger had given her several spectators, but Akemi ignored them and continued walking towards the training field. Upon arriving at the training field, Akemi observed a handful of Academy Students throwing kunai at a wooden target post. A crude red target, roughly the size of an apple, had been painted on the post. The field was bare with the exception of the five students, who were now running up to the target to retrieve their kunai. Akemi guessed the students to all be about eight years of age, the same age at which Akemi had graduated the Academy. It was long before even that where Akemi had learned to throw ninja tools such as shuriken and kunai. She was only three when Yoru sensei, now her only surviving sensei, and Manami sensei began teaching her. Within a year, she could throw a shuriken as effectively as any of the Leaf's chunin. Such a feat had taken many hours of countless training, only followed by more training. That had been her life, training to become stronger. To Akemi, there had never been a childhood like that of the children before her now. Her entire life had been about getting stronger, her only goal to become as strong as she could possibly be. You wish to get stronger, that is your goal. You desire nothing more from this cruel world aside from it. The words of the mysterious woman lingered in Akemi's mind like a toxic fog. Trying to push the thought from her head, Akemi stormed to the post as the students prepared for another round of throws. The children stopped throwing their weapons as Akemi approached, concerned for the safety of the young woman. They waited for a moment, thinking Akemi was simply going to walk past the post and continued on her way. The children each exchanged confused looks when Akemi stepped in front of the post and stayed there, looking back at them. "Hey, were practicing dangerous ninja stuff here lady." one of the kids yelled. "You gotta move." Akemi stayed put pointing a single finger at the child. "I'm not stopping you." Akemi replied. "Throw." This only added to the children's confusion. To them, it appeared a random woman had wondered onto the training field with a death wish. What could she possibly be doing? "I'm a joūnin." Akemi explained. "I wanted to do some reflex training. So throw." The children still seemed unsure of what to do, despite now seeing Akemi as their superior. What Akemi was asking still seemed like the request of one insane. Akemi was becoming impatient with the children, acting hesitantly towards her orders. "Throw!" Akemi shouted, letting a quick pulse of chakra blow dust away from where she stud/ One of the students, a short black haired girl, panicked at Akemi's intentionally intimidating command, throwing the kunai in her hand, letting it soar towards Akemi's chest. The other children gasped as the knife made its way towards Akemi, but Akemi made no sound or movements as the point of the knife drew near. Bringing her hand up, Akemi slipped her index finger into the ring at the base of the kunai, using the weapon's momentum to allow it to spin rapidly around her knuckle. The children looked on in awe as Akemi flipped the kunai to it's blade, balancing the entire weapon on it's point on the tip of her finger. Akemi had been barred from using her Iwa or Kasai clan abilities within the presence of the Hidden Leaf's citizens, which she was subtly violating at this very moment. A thin layer of diamond lay underneath the skin on her finger, preventing the sharp point from penetrating. The the children however, it appeared to be a logic defying act of balance. "The throw would have missed my heart by 3.8 centimeters." Akemi informed the little girl. "Aim just a hair higher next time." The young girl nodded as Akemi dropped the kunai at her feet. The next child, this time a young boy, steps ahead of his friends and threw his kunai. The weapon soared past Akemi's head, missing by inches and hitting the post behind her. The children looked on in awe, as Akemi hadn't even flinched as the weapon missed a lethal. "No good." Akemi stated to the young boy. "Your trying to throw the kunai too hard. Worry more about actually hitting the target, and maybe you'll stop throwing to the right of your aim." The boy nodded and stepped back behind his friends as the next boy took a step forward and threw his kunai. The process continued for the next quarter hour. A child would throw a kunai, Akemi would catch the weapon or simply not move if the throw was off, then give the child pointers as how to improve their technique. Akemi found herself momentarily forgetting all about the strange woman, focusing on the kunai as they flew towards her, and genuinely enjoying the amazed expressions on the faces of the children. Akemi was focused, but enjoying the improvised training. All that came to a halt when she say the sigh standing next to the trail leading out of the training grounds. Akemi became fixated on the words painted on the wooden sighs, so much so that she didn't even seem to notice when one of the children's kunai grazed her shoulder, severing the mesh on her outfit and her skin. The children all gasped, but Akemi ignored them as she made her way over to the sign, as if they no longer existed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the young girl repeated over and over again. "Don't be mad, please don't be mad!" The near hysterical child continued to plead for forgiveness, but her words seemed to fall short, not invoking even acknowledgment from Akemi. Akemi remained fixated on the wooden sign, or more so the words written on it. Upon entering the training ground, Akemi had read the three simple signs, the top pointing to the sparing grounds, a simple open field to the north of the tool training area, which Akemi was currently in, and the bottom sign pointing to the Ninja Academy. But now the word had changed. Reading them from top to bottom, the signs now read "Seek, Out, Power." Akemi stared at the signs for what felt like ages, but what was likely nothing more than a few moments. "Are you alright miss?" one of the children asked, tugging on Akemi's arm. The interaction with something outside her tunnel vision snapped Akemi back to reality. She looked down at the child, who seemed nervous that he had done something wrong and quickly backed away. Akemi looked at the boy for a moment, then back at the sign. "What do these signs say?" Akemi asked. The boy seemed confused. "W-what?" "What so these signs say?" Akemi repeated. "T-the top one says 'sparing grounds', the middle one says-" "That's what I thought." Akemi said, cutting the boy off. "Are you OK?" the little girl asked, cautiously coming to the boy's side. Akemi looked at her shoulder. The cut was shallow, but it still bled, giving the mesh just around the wound a crimson appearance. Akemi had always been a fast healer, never once having to worry about such small wounds. The cut did not concern her. Even if the wound had been deeper, she was still too bewildered by the shifting letters to care. "I'm fine." Akemi said, walking away from the children. None of the children said a word as Akemi walked of the field, not wanting to upset the woman. Akemi keep a brisk pace, not wanting to make it too obvious she desperately wanted to leave the training grounds as quickly as possible. The words of the mysterious woman once again began corrupting Akemi's thoughts, the shifting signs having provided a direct reminder to the incident. Akemi began cursing to herself, loud enough to gain the attention of several pedestrians as she hurried past them. What the hell was that? Akemi thought, barely able to contain her anger and once again lash out at the nearest wall. Was the Genjutsu? False Surroundings perhaps? Surely none of those kids used such a technique. Who within the village would even do such a thing? Could the woman have infiltrated the village? How could that be possible? As the thoughts and frantic questions accumulated in Akemi's mind, she suddenly became paranoid of her surroundings. Any of the villagers she passed could be secretly casting Genjutsu on her without her knowledge. Suddenly every pair of eyes was watching her, causing Akemi to feel extremely uneasy. She had to escape. Akemi began running, jumping up onto a food cart, much to the displeasure of the owner, and then up onto the nearest roof top. Now free of the crowed streets, Akemi began scanning her surroundings from the roof top. Nothing could be trusted in the village anymore, from the people in the streets to the few ninja Akemi could see on distant rooftops, any of it could be the woman's doing. "What am I doing?" Akemi asked out loud, suddenly aware she was simply becoming paranoid. Akemi spotted a large building in the background, a large sign reading "Akane's" hung above the front doorway of the three story restaurant. Akemi had only been there once before, with Yoru Sensei the day before they left the Hidden Leaf Village. The food was good, but that's not what drew Akemi there now. The entire third floor was devoted to private parties, completely isolated form the rest of the restaurant and every window had thick shades. It was a near perfect location for Akemi to relax and attempt to clear her head. Wasting no time, Akemi made her way to the restaurant. Twins' Arrival "Garyū. Dude. Come on. Why the hell are you moving so slow? We are almost there!" Shiga voiced his excitement. "We are finally going to see our mother's home town. Are you not excited?" Garyū continued to walk at his set pace further annoying Shiga with his laziness. "I don't really care. I'm tired. We've been walking for three days." Garyū lied knowing that he and his brother have been on their trail for roughy half an hour. Sucking his teeth at the annoyance of his lazy twin brother, Shiga's imagination ran wild thinking of the many things he would see in his mother's hometown. While Garyū didn't really have much on his mind, which was usually a blank slate, he remembered why he was even a little anxious to travel to the legendary village. Images of a crimson hair female ran through the latter's mind, distracting him from all surroundings. He didn't bother to pay attention to the stick that was in front of him nor did he hear Shiga's warning him to be cautious of it. Falling over it as a consequence for not being aware of where he was walking. "Dude. What's your problem? You seem...off. You are here but you aren't there." Shiga stated point at Garyū's head. "Shut up." Garyū retorted lifting himself from the grassy floor. "Anyways. We're getting close." Shiga's blood pressure shoot up from the intense excitement of see the gates of Konohagakure. "Come on Garyū! You can be lazy one we get there." Pushing against his brother's back, Shiga forced him to speed toward the gates of new opportunity. Party of One The room was dimly lit by a single candle in the center of the table. The only one present was Akemi, who was finishing what remained of her meal. She had ordered a plate of Crab Balls and a small bowl of salted ramen. For her beverage Akemi simply asked for a glass of water, no ice. A simple meal, but it was all Akemi wanted. She sat alone in the dim candle light, taking small bits of one of the few remaining Crab Balls as she pondered how she should go about the rest of her day. Training would be her preferred activity, though perhaps not back at the training field. Training elsewhere would require her to leave the safety of the Hidden Leaf Village, which evidently might not be as safe as she originally thought. She could remain in the village, which had its perks, but the incident at the training field had made her uneasy. What she had witnessed had been Genjutsu, no doubt. But who had cast it. It seemed unlikely that the woman would choose to risk entering the village, but no one came to Akemi's mind when she pondered who else would be casting such ominous messages upon her. The though had also crossed Akemi's mind that the woman could have an accomplice, one of great skill if they were able to sneak such simple tricks upon Akemi's mind. The thought furthered Akemi's unease. Yet another reason leaving the village may be for the best. As Akemi continued pondering her options, a waiter approached her table. An older gentleman, dawning a pair of perfectly round glasses and well kept grey facial hair. Akemi recognized him as Akane's assistant manager, who usually saw to it personally that private parties were given the best possivle service, even if it was a party of one. "Did you find everything alright miss?" The man asked, a pleasant smile apparent under his mustache. "Yes, it was very nice." Akemi said, returning the man's smile despite her mood. The man looked down at the table, apparently noticing something. Akemi followed than man's eyes and say that her menu had not been taken after she had ordered her food. Akemi had been so deep in thought that she hadn't even noticed. "I can take that menu for you while you finish mam." The waiter said, taking a set closer to the table. "Thank you." Akemi picked up the menu, taking one last look at the words printed on the front before handing the menu to the waiter. Leaving the village is the best option. Akemi began thinking. "What has the village done for me anyway? Everything I do and I will never be acknowledged by anyone here. Not for my strength, not for my loyalty, not for my sacrifice. None of it matters to these people. At least Sayuri would acknowledge me for...'' "Are you alright miss?" The waiter asked, noticing a strange look forming on Akemi's face. Akemi paused. What had just happened? Why had she named the strange woman Sayuri? Why had her thoughts suddenly turned so negative? Looking at the menu, still in her hand, Akemi saw that the words that had just passed through her mind, clear as day, printed on the front of the menu. Immediately, Akemi sat up from her chair and hurried past the waiter, slamming a handful of paper bills on the table as she hurried away, ignoring the man's questions. Akemi didn't even know where she was going. She just had to get away. Away from the cursed words that had infiltrated her mind, away from Akane's, away from the Hidden Leaf. She just had to get away. Far away. . "Dude! We should totally check out the Hokage monument!" Shiga suggested hoping that his brother would agree to the sight seeing adventure he had planned. Garyū sighed in with protest, not really wanting to continue listening to Shiga excitement, which was oddly beginning to annoy him. "I have a better idea. How about you go sight seeing and I will go get us a couple of rooms." Garyū exclaimed showing his disinterest in viewing the villages treasures. After a few minutes of silence, Shiga agree to Garyū statement and the twins went their separate ways. Garyū, however, did not go straight to a hotel lodging, he instead casually walked around the streets of Konohagakure. In the distance, he could have sworn that he seen the same crimson hair girl from a couple weeks ago. Desperately wanting to know if he was hallucinating, Garyū chased after the figure eventually losing it with the thick crowds. "Damn. Was that Akemi?" Akemi barreled past every pedestrian in her path, dodged ever obstacle and veered at every turn, but her actions were nothing more than instinctive reactions, lacking any conscious thought. Akemi's mind was a blur of paranoia and terror. Her heart was racing as she evaded another crowd of faceless figures. This bad day had quickly escalated into a nightmare. "I need to get out of here!" Akemi shouted, causing those around her to look her way. Ignoring the confused murmurs of the civilians around her, Akemi continued her mad dash, heading towards the village's south gate. Akemi held back tears, forcing her eyes to remain open as she ran. Why was this happening? Akemi quickly thought back and couldn't think of a single instance where she had cried. There had of course been moments where she had been sad, but never moments where she had shed tears. When Hado Sensei had been killed by a booby trap, one of the closest people she had to family, being stolen from her by an evil long gone form the world, she did not cry. When Manami Sensei died, Akemi's birth mother, having never gotten over the death of her husband Hado, Akemi's eyes remained dry. When she had left Garyu that lonely night in Amegakure, her heart feeling torn in two as if another dear friends had passed on, Akemi did not cry. So why now? Why was she starting to cry? This question only angered Akemi, because she simply didn't have an answer. Flesh can be cut, organs can be ruptured and bones can be snapped. But Akemi, I know your will, will never be broken. ''Akemi felt a lump in her throat at the remembrance of the final words Hado had said to her. ''I've done a lot in my lifetime, both good and bad. The good I've done will never be enough to compensate for my sins, that I'm sure of. But Akemi, always remember this, even though we don't share DNA, giving birth to you was the greatest gift I ever gave to this world. ''The final words of Manami Sensei, spoken on her death bed, radiated through Akemi's mind, tugging at her heart strings like a master puppeteer. ''You run because you're to scared to get close to others. You assume that have strong ties to people makes a person weak. The feelings you have are real. Sooner or later you're going to have to let someone in! You know that just as well as I do...No matter how far you go or how hard you resist...I will always be there for you. ''The words spoken by Garyu over the poring rain the night Akemi left him struck like a dagger to Akemi's emotions. Out of all the things Akemi remembered having been said to her, the most meaningful words ever spoken to her, the most important people in her life, what drew more emotion than anything else, was what Akemi had said to them all in response. Nothing. As Akemi ran past the southern gate, tears began flowing down her cheeks like flustered rain drops, leaving a trail of tears in her wake. Fracture She hadn't made it even half a kilometer out of the village when Akemi began slowing, fighting an urge to ball up and continue crying right in the middle of the trail. Though the tears had stopped flowing, the lump in her throat persisted and she fought valiantly to keep a second wave of tears from escaping her eyes, but she knew it was a losing battle. The sensation was strange to her, only having ever had water running from her eyes in the presence of smoke or some other irritant. Having unprovoked tears running down her now reddened cheeks felt almost unnatural, only made worse by the fact they seemed determined to carry on until Akemi's eyes were drained of every last drop of moisture. It was as if every tear Akemi should have cried throughout her life had been stored somewhere behind her eyes and for some reason chose this moment to spring forth. Not knowing what else to do, Akemi stepped off of the trail, stumbling between the trees and into the forest. The trees provided some level of cover, hopefully preventing anyone on the trail from noticing her in such a state. Akemi would aim to find a spot far enough away from the trail where no one would hear her muffled cries and simply try and wait it out. That's all she needed, to wait out whatever was happening. Akemi would wait, then return to the village, and just put the day behind her. ''I'm just a little tired. It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine. ''Stumbling to a clearing, Akemi dropped down to her knees just as the second wave a tears hit, falling from her ''chin onto the patch of bear soil before her. "Why?" Akemi asked between her sobs. "Why won't this go away? I just want this to stop. What would Manami Sensei tell me to do? What would Hado Sensei tell me? Why can'y Yoru sensei be here? Why can'y Garyu?" As Akmei spoke her sadness seemed to manifest into anger, almost shouting through her tears which continued to stream down her face. "It's not fair! Nothing in my life is fair! The only people I could even pretend were my family are gone, (Incomplete)